Five Minutes can make All the Difference
by Myvampirepuppy
Summary: Movie 3. What if KID were just a few minutes too late?


**This is a thought on the ending of the third movie, The Last Wizard of the Century, about how Conan would have told Ran everything if KID were just the tiniest bit late.**

**Disclaimer: I tried to own the characters once, but they left me for someone else. *cries*

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**"You were just like Shinichi then," Ran said softly.

'_Ran…'_

"But you are someone else, aren't you?" She asked, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Am I right, Conan-kun?"

'_It's time,'_ Conan thought, sighing.

"Ran…the truth is, I…" he began, taking off his glasses and looking up at her, peeling off every mask.

"Shinichi," she whispered.

"I only wanted to protect you, Ran. I only wanted to protect you from Them. It was my own curiosity that pulled me into this, and I couldn't drag you in with me."

"So, you are…?"

"I'm sorry, Ran. I really am. I know that you probably hate me now. Just say the word, and I'll leave. I'll stay out of your life forever."

"You should know already. You should know that I can't hate you, Shinichi."

"Hey." Kudou Shinichi called from the doorway, a bored look on his face.

"Huh? Wait, what?" Ran asked.

"I won't call the police this time. Just take your dove and go. Nice try, but you're a little late," Conan said sourly.

"I try to get you out of telling her, and this is the thanks I get?"

"No, the thanks you get is that I'm not calling Nakamori-keibu right now."

"Fine," 'Shinichi' pouted, leaving.

"So that wasn't really him?"

"No. I've wanted to tell you that. I hadn't expected it to take this long, I thought that I'd be Shinichi again in a couple weeks, but weeks turned to months, and I knew that I couldn't tell you. It was so hard, watching you cry because of me, watching your excitement every time the phone rang; your hopes that I was calling you again, and saying that I was coming home."

"Why wouldn't you tell me this! I worried about you day in and day out and you were right next to me!" She started to blush furiously as she realized some of the things they had done together. "I-I _bathed _with you!"

'_Here it comes…'_

"…Why, Shinichi?"

"I couldn't tell you because you might die from knowing. I can't be certain that They know about this or not, but I couldn't take the risk. They would kill me and anyone associated with me."

"'They'"?

"Remember that day at Tropical Land? The day when 'Conan' appeared?"

"Yes, what about it?" There was irritation and confusion in her voice.

"Do you remember those two men in black?"

"Yes, I do."

"I followed them. They were actually part of this Organization that deals in everything ranging from blackmail to murder. They knocked me out and fed me a poison called APTX4869. It was supposed to kill me, but it somehow backfired and turned me into a kid."

"So why did you come to me?" She crossed her arms.

"Well, you kind of caught me by surprise. I'd intended to stay with you for a couple days, maybe, while I found leads to them. But they were too good. I can't find a trace of them."

"And you thought that I couldn't keep a secret?"

"I was going to tell you the first night, but I was selfish. I knew you could probably keep it a secret, but what if you slipped? I've done it before, forgotten to call you 'Ran-neechan'; if They had been watching me then I would have died already. I didn't want you to be put under that pressure too, the pressure of needing to lie to everyone close to you."

"I can take that burden on. Do I have anyone that it's safe to talk to about this besides you?"

"In theory, no. One of their members is a master of disguise, and for all I know, she could be you. Or oji-san. Or Hattori."

"…Who else?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who else knows about this? Who did you tell before me?"

"I only _told_ Agasa-hakase, but others found out on their own."

"Who?"

"Uh, Hattori kind of caught me in the act, and hakase told my parents and then they tried to scare me half to death. From the looks of it, Kid knows too now. Oh yeah, and Haibara found out."

"You told Hattori-kun before me? And Ai-chan too? Just how much do you really trust me?"

"You know I trust you, but I couldn't risk putting you in danger."

Once again, Ran's eyes began to tear. "Ran? Are you all right?" The not-so-young boy asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, _Shinichi-kun_." She said his name with a blend of anger, disappointment, pain, and a thousand other emotions Shinichi couldn't seem to place. He also noticed that she had added a suffix onto his name for the first time in years. _'Shit, what now?'_ "Ran, I didn't—"

"Don't start. Go to bed and we'll talk in the morning."

"Ran—"

"_Now._"

Conan nodded in submission and did as he was told. Hey, even if he _were_ in his older body he would have done it. He knew already not to mess with the girl who could snap his arm with barely an effort. "Yes, Ran-neechan…"

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**And? Was it good? Bad? Meh? Reviews please!**


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